Cheesesteak Sandwiches

I don’t know about you guys, but when it gets this hot outside, I have very little desire to cook. Unfortunately, my family still thinks that they need to eat. Since deli meat sandwiches and PB&Js and cold cereal get really old, really quick, I have to mix things up a little.

I’ve never met someone who doesn’t like Philly Cheesesteaks–maybe vegetarians and the world’s pickiest eaters. And since that title currently belongs to my son and he loves them, then we’re talking picky. Speaking of Philly, I’ve come under rather harsh criticism for calling these “Philly Cheesesteaks” because although these are like every Philly Cheesesteak I’ve ever had, these are apparently not how they make ’em in Philly. So, for the sake of authenticity and my sanity, these will henceforth be known as “Cheesesteak Sandwiches.” Not from Philly.

One of the things I love about this recipe is that it really only requires a handful of some of my favorite ingredients–some butter, an onion, a bell pepper, some sirloin steak (I know ribeyes are kind of the gold standard, but I feel like they’re a little too fatty. Can we still be friends?)

Okay, your job here will be made infinitely easier if you have a food processor. THIS recipe is what food processors were made for. If you’re in the market for a new one (or your very first one), I’ve had a KitchenAid food processor for almost 11 years and it’s still going strong (and I’ve discovered that their customer service is pretty amazing). They don’t have the exact same one that I have now, but I think this machine is about as close as it gets (with some snazzy features that I kind of wish I had…)

One reason some people may not like steak sandwiches is that the steak is cut too thickly. If you have a food processor, you can fit it with the slicing blade, partially/mostly freeze your steak, and get paper-thin slices of steak for your sandwiches.

Also, you can slice your onion and green peppers, making this recipe a breeze! As always, you should consult the manufacturer’s instructions to make sure it’s okay to use the food processor to slice meat, but, generally speaking, the rule of thumb is that if you can pierce the meat with the tip of a sharp knife, it’s okay to put it in your food processor.

All righty then, onto the recipe. Slice bell peppers and onions (preferably in the food processor).

Set aside. Slice frozen meat (again, food processor).

Set aside. Heat 2 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add steak and stir-fry. Season heavily with salt and lots of freshly-ground pepper. When meat is about half-cooked, add peppers and onions. Stir occasionally, cooking until most of the liquid is evaporated and meat is cooked through. Season with hot sauce to taste. For me, I don’t want them super spicy, but I like a little bit of that extra flavor.

Slice buns and butter the top half.

spoon steak mixture inside.

Top with cheese…

and place under broiler for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is slightly toasty. Enjoy!

Instructions

Slice bell peppers and onions (preferably in the food processor). Set aside. Slice frozen meat (again, food processor). Set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet (cast iron, if you have one). Spread the steak evenly over the bottom of the skillet and season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, stirring occasionally. When meat is about halfway cooked, add peppers and onions. Stir occasionally, cooking until most of the liquid is evaporated and meat is cooked through. Season with hot sauce to taste.

Slice buns and spread butter on the top half. Spoon the steak mixture onto the bottom half. Top with cheese and place under broiler for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is slightly toasty. Enjoy!

Notes

Freezer Instructions: Slice the meat, onions, and peppers according to the directions. Place the meat on one lined baking sheet in a single layer and the onions and peppers on another lined baking sheet in a single layer. Place in the freezer. When frozen, remove from the freezer and transfer the meat to one freezer bag and the onions and peppers to another freezer bag.

When ready to cook, cook according to the directions in the recipe, just for a little longer to allow the excess water to evaporate and the frozen meat to cook thoroughly. Follow the directions above for serving.

44 comments

This is one of my families favs as well. We like to add mushrooms (we’re not much of bell pepper fans, but load on the mushrooms) One tip for those of you without a food processor, I buy a cheap roast at the butcher counter and have them slice it as thin as they can. Most grocery stores (I know Macey’s for one) will be happy to slice it for you. Also Albertsons, Safeway, depending upon where you live. Thanks for all the yummy recipes and ideas!

That’s a great idea to have the butcher cut the roast for you. And roast is on sale at Macey’s this week…I just might have to find an excuse to make it there. Hmmm…I’ve been thinking lately I’d like to get a food processor. Hearing the practical applications for one- like this recipe- make me want to get one for sure. What suggestions does everyone have for what the best one out there is? I also have a kitchen aid already. Is there maybe an attachment for that that I could just buy? It seems like there’s an attachment for just about everything for those kitchen aids! Thanks for the great blog- I just discovered you through a friend and along with great recipes, I love that you give some great food education as well- THANKS!

Jenschmerer–Unfortunately, there's not an attachment for your Kitchenaid mixer, mostly due to the design of the food processor; it's definitely it's own unit. The GOOD thing is that there are some very affordable food processors out there. I would definitely stick to the higher-end processors; we got a Black and Decker for our wedding and I literally never used it because it was so poorly designed and just didn't work as well as some of the others.

When I saw this recipe, I not only salivated, but I cried a little inside because I don’t have a food processor. But hearing the tips on having grocery stores cut it for you, in addition to the fact that my birthday is in November and I now know what to ask for, lifts my spirits a little bit! Thanks for the delicious looking sandwich. P.S. Did you ever eat at The Italian Place when you lived in Orem/Provo? I LOVED (and greatly miss) their sandwiches.

Erin, that’s so funny that you bring up The Italian Place because that’s where I fell in love with steak sandwiches! I’ve never been to the one in Utah county, but I used to go to the one in Logan every day during the summer with my dad. I don’t even know if it’s still there, but oh, man, I loved that place!!

Just letting you know that the Italian Place would spread cream cheese on the bread and grill it some and not butter. They would also cook the meat and veggies with some cream cheese as well. Usually Philadelphia cream cheese.

You can pretty much use any boneless steak (and really not a dumb question, BTW!) Top sirloin works great, I used flat iron the other day, if you can find a fillet on sale and don’t want to eat it whole, you can do that, although I would CRY if you cut up a full-priced fillet or New York steak to use in sandwiches! 🙂

Kate, Philly Cheesesteaks are a staple in my home. 🙂 My question is if you have read any of the reviews on Amazon about the food processor that you have. I am curious to know if you have any of these same problems. I am in the market and totally trust your word on what works. And Sara of course! Thanks and keep up the great work ladies.

Richelle, I went and read some of the reviews. And I still love mine… 🙂 Yeah, I wish the thing in the middle was a little taller and occasionally, stuff does get stuck between the blade and the top, but it's no biggie. Maybe it's because my old food processor was SO craptacular, but those just seem like tiny…not even annoyances, you know? *MY* only complaint is that my first workbowl cracked after about a year (which was remedied by KitchenAid sending me an ENTIRE new food processor). So I'm really happy with it…

I am going to try this recipe on sunday for our Monthly family dinner/Family Home evening. If its this easy to make it should be easy enought to feed a group of 14 people. I would just need to increase the amounts of the ingredients. Thanks you for your wonderful recipes. I have enjoyed all of the ones that I have tried so far.

Yum! Making these tonight…would never have thought to cut the steak in the food processor, but wow…paper thin indeed! I used my food processor attachment for my Cuisinart 800W mixer (I got it and a blender attachment for free w/ purchase of the mixer!!) I am so excited to eat them!

This recipe was so tasty and delicious. We eat cheesesteaks at a local restaurant quite frequently. My husband made the comment, "I didn't know they delivered." I love to please him so thanks for this recipe!

Being from Philly, I am soooooo happy that you don’t call these Philly Cheesesteaks. We don’t tend toward hot sauce on our them out here- unless they are buffalo chicken steaks. (Which are fabulous- thin-slice the chicken and fry it up in oil until just cooked, top with buffalo sauce and cheese; often American out here.) If you ask a butcher for chip steak, he may slice it thin enough for the sandwiches we make out here that would work for this recipe, too. BTW- These still look good. But if you want them real Philly style (and not what the Food channel calls Philly steaks, but the real corner steak shop sandwich), just fry the chipped steak in oil while chopping it until it is just cooked (overcooking RUINS it- you want it a little juicy, but browned through,) top with your choice of fried onions/mushrooms/ peppers/ cheese. And just FYI, real corner shops in Philadelphia and the surrounding area rarely use cheese wiz. Really. Just the two place you see on TV- Pat’s and Geno’s.

I have been making cheesesteak sandwiches similar to this for sometime and my son loves them. Just thought I’d throw out a couple of “cheats” that I’ve discovered along the way. If you’re really in a rush, you can buy deli roast beef and ask them to shave it. It’s probably more expensive, but saves the time of slicing the meat yourself. Also, instead of using butter or oil to stir fry this, I always use non-fat italian dressing. It works great, adds some seasoning to the meat and veggies, and is a bit healthier.

I make these with elk loin actually, adding beef bouillon for more flavor and red pepper flakes for heat. I also love mushrooms and I put the Philly back in by spreading cream cheese on my sourdough bun before toasting it under the broiler. Yum! Also just scored a food processor from my mom so thanks for the idea!

These were such a huge hit at my house!! They were absolutely delicious! I shouldn’t have been surprised- we always love every recipe from your book and site. We substituted mushrooms for the peppers, because that’s what we had, and I used my Bosch food processor to slice the meat, and I think that might have been the key- the meat was awesome! I don’t love stove-top cooked steak, and this was just so so so delicious! Thanks for such fabulous recipes, always:)

I just went to Macey’s and had the meat guys slice up a roast for me. sounds like a lot easier to do than putting the steak through the food processor. We are making these tomorrow night. I was wondering how much Cholula sauce you put in? I noticed you said 3 drops? Is that about right?More? Less? This sounds great, can’t wait to try it!!

Help! Just made this tonight. Am I suppose to drain the fat that comes off the meat as I cook it or leave it in there for some “sauce”? My family felt like the meat didn’t have much taste to it, and I did put lots of pepper on it and the hot sauce. And the meat wasn’t very tender. What did I do wrong? It still tasted good,some had more than one serving,but some of us added more hot sauce once on the bun or steak sauce for some flavor. Thanks for your help.

I went to Macey’s, to the meat dept. told them what I was making, etc… and he suggested buying a dinner roast. THey sliced it up for me. Some of the slices were pretty thin, other not so much. I might have had too small of a pan maybe also, I doubled the recipe for our family. Everyone still ate it, I have no leftovers… Thanks for your suggestions.

Made this tonight. It’s something I have always wanted to cook but never had because I didn’t think it was something I could replicate at home. Oh man. I was wrong. This was so so so good. I used white American cheese instead of provolone. Amazing!

News for you: your child just lost his world title. 😉 5 of my 6 kids would absolutely not eat this meal because of the presence of so many onions and peppers. Not even close. Of course, it looks a-MA-zing to me!